Chapter 22

Sun Jinhua spoke self-righteously, completely unaware of her own fault.

Fan Qian didn’t think there was a problem taking a few mushrooms from his nieces; he was just worried about their reputation, which could affect his sons’ marriage prospects.

Impatiently, he waved his hand, “Alright, alright, I say one thing, you have ten things to say back. So naggy! It’s annoying to listen to!”

Sun Jinhua couldn’t stand Fan Qian’s attitude!

Great, all her hard work and effort, and all she got was called naggy by her own husband?

“If you’re annoyed, don’t eat then!”

Fan Qian wasn’t one to indulge Sun Jinhua, “I’m the head of the household, and you, a woman…”

Before he could finish, he saw a large group of people approaching his house.

Sun Jinhua saw them too and quickly stood up, her expression a mix of surprise and uncertainty.

She saw her usually timid and foolish sister-in-law, Hu Shuiqing, leading a large group of village women towards her house.

She knew she wasn’t well-liked in the village, but Hu Shuiqing was always weak and only focused on work, never close to anyone.

When did Hu Shuiqing become close to the village women?

What were they coming to her house for? She hadn’t done anything to the second branch recently!

“Auntie Fan, so you are home. Aren’t you going to control your wife?” Aunt Zhang led the way and asked first.

Fan Qian was confused, control what?

Sun Jinhua understood. They were here to seek justice for the second branch!

She sarcastically replied, “Oh, Aunt Zhang, you’re almost out of food at home, and you still have the energy to meddle in others’ business? Shouldn’t you be out gathering water caltrops to fill your stomach during the lean times?”

Aunt Zhang was infuriated.

Her family’s poverty was known in the village, but it wasn’t due to her laziness.

No, it was because her husband gambled away their money and crops, even sold their land, and finally got beaten to death by debt collectors a few years ago.

Aunt Li frowned and defended Aunt Zhang, “Jinhua, Aunt Zhang has worked day and night for years. At least she hasn’t let her six children starve or sold them. Raising those kids was incredibly difficult.

Your family is doing well, but you still target the elder girls. Is what you did even human?”

“Aunt Zhang’s poverty isn’t her fault. With a gambling husband, what could she do?”

“Your words are too venomous, why rub salt in her wounds?”

“Not just venomous words, but a venomous heart too!”

Voices defending Aunt Zhang rose one after another, and Sun Jinhua, seeing everyone siding with Aunt Zhang, pursed her lips.

A man without ability makes his wife useless too, and poverty can’t be mentioned?

Seeing his wife offending everyone, Fan Qian tried to change the subject, “Ladies, what brings you all here?”

As the saying goes, distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors, so he couldn’t offend everyone.

In the past, during busy farming times, the second branch would help, but now that they were separated, he might still need help from the village.

“She pushed my second sister down the mountain for some mushrooms, and my sister is covered in injuries. Is she trying to kill her? From today on, she is no longer my aunt. If I cut her, I’ll accept whatever punishment the authorities give!” Fan Jiang shouted, brandishing a kitchen knife.

Seeing the gleaming knife, Sun Jinhua swallowed hard and involuntarily moved behind her husband.

It was just a push; she had pushed the second girl many times before.

Today was just bad luck, and the second girl stood in a bad spot, rolling down the mountain. What did that have to do with her? Was it necessary to make such a big deal out of it?

Shuiqing hugged Fan Jiang, tears streaming down, “Jiang, don’t do anything foolish. Let’s see what your uncle says!”

Ah, acting out a crying scene was tough!

She should have taken the role of holding the knife and making threats, and let the children hold her back.

The other children also stepped forward, stopping Fan Jiang and crying.

“Uncle and Aunt are a family, of course, they will protect Aunt!”

“Uncle will definitely say it was unintentional and that we shouldn’t take it to heart.”

“Uncle probably thinks Second Sister just fell and got injured, but Aunt lost her reputation, so they are the ones who suffered more?”

Fan Qian inhaled sharply; the children had already said what he was going to say. What could he say now?

Other women also spoke to calm them down, “Don’t worry, the village head is coming. Even if it’s not taken to the authorities, it will be handled according to village rules!”

Hearing this, Sun Jinhua panicked.

She clung tightly to her husband’s clothes, cold sweat dripping down.

Fan Qian, seeing the situation escalating, turned to Sun Jinhua angrily and questioned, “Did you push the second girl down the mountain just to steal mushrooms?”

Sun Jinhua pouted, “What do you mean steal mushrooms? She wouldn’t even give me a few mushrooms out of respect, so I just pushed her. How could I know she’d lose her balance and roll down?”

“Alright, alright, you still don’t think you did anything wrong. Let’s see how you handle it when the village head gets here!” Fan Qian snapped.

Sun Jinhua got anxious and reluctantly said to the second girl, “Second girl, Aunt was wrong. How about you take the mushrooms back? Aunt even sorted out the weeds and moss for you, saving you the trouble.”

Shuiqing sneered.

To those who knew, it was an apology. To those who didn’t, it sounded like she was doing them a favor.

“The mushrooms were ours to begin with! My second sister got hurt and bled; I want you to bleed too!” Fan Jiang struggled forward like a bull.

“Hey, Jinhua, is this your way of apologizing? If you don’t show sincerity, I won’t stop the boy,” an old woman interjected.

“I think she should also be made to bleed, so she knows the pain!”

Sun Jinhua didn’t expect her apology and offer to return the mushrooms to be rejected.

She looked to her husband for help, “Say something!”

Her previously tough demeanor was gone.

Fan Qian, seeing his nephew ready to fight to the death, knew they had to offer compensation.

He said gravely, “Alright, we’ll return the mushrooms. Since the second girl is hurt and needs nourishment, how about ten eggs? Let’s not make a fuss over this.”

“Fan, you’re really offering ten eggs?”

“Alright, then if someone pushes you down the mountain, don’t worry, ten eggs will make it right.”

“No, he’d say it’s different if his wife pushes him. If someone else does, he’d sue them for everything.”

“Got it, being ‘family’ with them is a curse!”

Shuiqing coldly said, “No, since ten eggs are enough for family, I have eggs too. I can push one of you down the mountain, and give you ten eggs in return!

Time to get rich, come on, your whole family follow me.”

Her words panicked both Fan Qian and Sun Jinhua, and even the elderly Fan grandmother and the four sons inside, who had been unconcerned, started to worry.

How did they get involved in this mess?